420 Employee Broadcast E-Mail Procedure

RATIONALE: Oakland University (University) has the capability to communicate rapidly and widely to internal audiences through broadcast e-mail. In general this medium should be used carefully and conservatively to maximize the impact of important messages. Specifically, the use of such medium should be restricted to:

Sharing vital University information that affects a large number of Employees and/or students when timing is a concern. Examples include emergency power outages, mechanical systems failures, storm and other emergency closings, road closings, last minute or urgent changes to the academic calendar, etc.

Communicating official University news and information of interest to a broad range of Employees and/or students. Examples include the "State of the University" messages from the President and/or Provost, and News & Information Web updates from the Communication & Marketing Department.

POLICY:

SCOPE AND APPLICABILITY:

DEFINITIONS:

PROCEDURES: Authorized parties may send broadcast e-mail messages, and are responsible for obtaining any necessary sign-offs regarding purpose and content. The system will not allow broadcast messages to be sent by unauthorized parties. When sending a broadcast e-mail, all authorized parties, except the President, must type BROADCAST in the subject line prior to sending.

The procedure for sending e-mails to students requires permission from the Office of the Registrar to use and obtain the e-mail list, and technical support from Information Technology.

Authorization: Persons authorized to send Employee broadcasts or all-student e-mails are restricted to the President, Vice Presidents, Vice Provost for Information Technology, and the Associate Vice President for Communication & Marketing. The Associate Vice President for Communication & Marketing should be informed before the broadcast e-mail is sent to ensure effective coordination with other communications media.

Restrictions: Information of general news value to University Employees - such as computer training classes or newsletters about unit activities - should not be sent via broadcast e-mail. That type of information should be handled through fliers distributed through campus mail and/or by notices sent to Communication & Marketing for posting in the appropriate communication vehicle(s) such as the University's News & Information Web site.

Technical Responsibilities: The Vice Provost for Information Technology maintains an up-to-date list of Employee e-mail addresses. The Office of the Registrar maintains an up-to-date list of student e-mail addresses.